Dr. Krishnamurthi Kannan
CSIR – NEERI
Health Assessment Research: A case study
ABSTRACT
Air pollution is a major cause of concern for the World, for India it is more important as every year Northern India especially Delhi and NCR region faces tremendous air pollution problem particularly during Winter season due to stubble burning and uncontrolled vehicular traffic also because of geographical location close to Himalaya. Health assessment is an important tool to understand the cause due to exposure to pollution and other threats. Here in this study we have used Epidemiology based health risk assessment tool to identify health risk involved in air pollution exposure scenario in places one is a city located in Central India, where coal is being stored, handled and transported to various places and other coal mine located near Nagpur city. Air monitoring tools such as high volume Ambient air monitors PM2.5 and PM10 and cascade impactors to measure PM <1.0 also gaseous pollutants such as SO2 and NO2 etc using gaseous monitors. Health assessment parameters such as Lung disorders, Respiratory problem, asthma, bronchitis, COPD, BMI, IHD, eye and skin diseases and other biomarkers such as 1-Nitropyrene, Aminopyrene, CC-16, 8-OHDG, Metals in blood and urine samples of population exposed to air pollutants. Our findings clearly showed health impacts due to exposure to environmental pollutants such as metals and organics bound to PM10, PM2.5 at both the case studies.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Krishnamurthi Kannan obtained Masters degree in Environmental Toxicology (1990) from Dr. A.L.M. Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (Madras University), Chennai, and Doctoral Degree (Ph.D. 2002) in Biochemistry from RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur. He is currently heading Health and Toxicity Cell since 27th June 2018. Dr. Krishnamurthi has about 31 years of research experience with involvement in over 37 research and consultancy projects in various capacities i.e. principal investigator and co-investigator. He has organized about 12 National and International conferences/symposia in the capacities of convener, co-organizing secretary and organizing secretary. He is an Editorial Board member for about 6 International Journals, reviewer for about 15 National and International journals. He has published more than 100 publications in various National and International journals, presented papers in about 120 National and International conferences, he has three international patents to his credit. He also served as an expert committee member to review ICMR, New Delhi sponsored research projects. Dr. Krishnamurthi was nominated by the Ministry of Petrochemicals and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), New Delhi as a team leader from CSIR-NEERI to investigate the styrene leak incidence occurred on 7th May 2020 at M/s. L.G. Polymers Pvt. Ltd., Vishakhapatnam (Vizag). His specializations include environmental and industrial toxicology, environmental monitoring, exposure assessment and health risk assessment including climate change and health impacts, mitigation of GHG using microbial system vis a vis value addition.
